


From the Skies

by HeadLadyInquisitor



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avvar, Avvar, Avvar Cullen, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 20:49:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7772911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeadLadyInquisitor/pseuds/HeadLadyInquisitor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ariya Lavellan has lost something and is determined to find it. Instead, she finds Stone-Bear Hold, where the Thane offers her hospitality, and Ariya thinks that perhaps living in this strange new place may work out after all.</p>
<p>Avvar AU with a few deviations from the norm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From the Skies

Ariya crept a couple of steps forward in the brush, trying to find just the right angle on the tusket grazing in the clearing. She pulled her bowstring just a bit tighter, focusing on getting her aim just right so as not to ruin the meat. Silently, she cursed herself for not practicing more with her bow over the last few years. In the cramped streets of Kirkwall, her daggers had suited better, but these animals spooked far too easily for her to get close enough. She dug her teeth into her bottom lip before letting out a long exhale and--

Some _asshole_ off to the west let out an ungodly screech and her prey scampered off.

“ _Shit!_ ” Ariya hissed, loosing her arrow in vain. She resisted the urge to stomp her feet as she moved across the clearing to retrieve her arrow from the tree it had lodged itself in. As she took stock of the few remaining in her quiver, the same voice called out again, but not in any language she understood. It could only be one of the Avvar that made their home in this basin. ' _Leave them be and they’ll leave you be_ ,’ she’d been told, but perhaps getting one out of trouble could yield some positive results.

She slung her bow across her back and unsheathed her daggers as she made her way west. He couldn’t be too far, from the way his voice had carried into the clearing, and as she approached, the sound of metal sinking into flesh told her there was definitely some kind of scuffle. As the trees grew closer together, she climbed one for a better vantage point. She couldn’t fly through the branches the way some of the other hunters in her clan used to, but she managed well enough with smaller leaps like this. A few hops and a man came into view, fighting off three lurkers with a mace the size of Ariya’s head. She grimaced - one was bad enough. Didn’t the Avvar usually hunt in groups for this exact reason?

The lurkers’ target seemed to be favoring his right leg, which likely meant that their toxin was already getting to him. He had made some progress in wounding one of them, and a corpse nearby showed that he was holding his own as well as could be expected, but he’d be a helpless pile of meat in about ten minutes if she didn’t step in. Assessing the situation quickly, she leapt to a branch almost directly above the lurker farthest to the right and jumped down, landing one of her daggers in the center of the beast’s skull. She dragged her blade down its spine to be _sure_ it was dead and kicked it off to the side.

The Avvar, to his credit, hadn’t paused for even a moment at her sudden appearance - by the time she turned back to face him, he was lifting his mace off of the second lurker’s crushed head. In wordless agreement, they turned on their final target. Ariya lunged forward and cut a long line down the lurker’s side, prompting it to cry out and turn on her. The Avvar used the opportunity to bring his mace down on its head and finish it off.

Safe for now, he collapsed, panting to the ground, holding on to his injured leg. “Th-Thank you,” he gasped. “I-”

“Hush,” Ariya urged. “Was your leg hit with the toxin?”

He winced and nodded. “I don’t think it will hold my weight anymore.”

“Probably not,” she replied, reaching into her pack. She rummaged about until she found a small sack of herbs and carefully selected one. “Chew this,” she instructed, offering a light green leaf the size of her palm. When he regarded her skeptically, she rolled her eyes. “If I wanted to kill you, why would I have gotten anywhere near the lurkers? This will slow the spread of the toxin until you can get some proper help.”

The man shrugged and took the herb. He grimaced at the taste, but chewed it nonetheless. “Why _did_ you help me?”

She sat down on the forest floor, back against a nearby tree trunk, and gulped some water from a skin on her belt. “Why would I just let you die?” she countered.

Neither said anything for a long moment, and Ariya had the chance to get a good look at the stranger. Though he was sitting, he looked to be tall, even for a human. Broad-shouldered, strong, no surprise considering the mace he wielded. Shaggy gold curls, a scruffy beard, and deep brown eyes. He was handsome, by any measure.

“So, rescuer, what should I call you?” he asked.

Her lip twitched and she stood up, slinging her pack over her shoulder. “My name is Ariya. And yours?” She held out a hand to help him to his feet.

He took it and struggled to stand, despite the paralysis in his right leg. “Branson. Strong grip for an elf.”

She snorted. “I get that a lot. Now, if you feel like surviving, we need to get to wherever it is you call home. The Avvar hold, right? I assume you have healers?”

He winced as he tried to take a step. “Yes. It’s not far, just north a ways. And you’ll be rewarded when we get there.”

She cocked an eyebrow and reached an arm around his back for support. “Will I now?”

He chuckled. “Of course. It’s not every day a lowlander rescues the _Thane’s brother_ , but I imagine you’ve earned something for your trouble.”

* * *

 Their arrival was heralded by a guard posted at the hold gate, and a small crowd gathered to greet them - it seemed there had been some concern for Branson’s safety.

“I may have wandered from the hunting party,” he murmured in explanation. “I’ll get an earful for that…”

Ariya huffed a laugh. “Not the _smartest_ idea. You need to be quick and clever to brave these wilds alone,” she said with a wink.

Branson smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be offered dinner. You’ll have to tell us some stories.”

She was saved from answering by a blur of golden curls nearly tackling her charge to the ground. “Bran, you’re alright!” a young woman shrieked. She pulled back to grip his shoulders and look him up and down. “When the hunting party said you’d disappeared I was afraid…” She trailed off, noticing his grimace and the way he leaned heavily on one leg.

“Yes, ah,” Ariya cut in. “You might want to get him to a healer. A lurker got to him.”

The blonde girl turned to face her, seemingly noticing her for the first time. “Who are you? Did you find him?”

Ariya didn’t miss the way she looked her up and down, eyes lingering on her pointed ears. Before she could reply, Branson answered for her, “Rosalie, this is Ariya. She helped me out of a bad spot. Let the Thane know, she’ll need some kind of reward, I think. And where is my--”

“Bran, you fool!” Another woman’s voice, less shrill but more menacing, ripped through the mountain air.

“...wife,” Branson finished lamely.

A tall woman, nearly as tall as her husband, stormed over to the gate where they stood. Her red hair was tied at the nape of her neck, her blue eyes stormy with rage, but Ariya noted that they held a hint of relief as well.

“Lise, I can explain,” Branson began, and Ariya held back a bark of laughter, but it was a near thing. For all the stories she’d heard of the “fearsome Avvar barbarians”, this man sounded like any married man she had ever heard, whether in her clan or in Kirkwall.

“Before he does,” Ariya dared interject. “I _really_ recommend getting him to a healer. I’ve done what I can but--”

Branson’s wife - Lise - scoffed. “Hurt himself again, has he? I swear I don’t know where he gets it. His brother hunts, his father hunted, neither of them ever wandered off and twisted their ankles half as much as he does. Sometimes I think we should trade places. He can stay at home with the little one while I find food. My name is Lise, by the way.” She paused to crack a smile at Ariya - which stunned her a bit, to be honest.

“I- I’m Ariya,” she replied.

“Pleased,” Lise said, slinging Branson’s free arm over her shoulder. “What’s he done then?”

“I’m _right here_ ,” the man protested.

Ariya smirked. “Lurker venom. I gave him some prophet’s laurel - er, I don’t know if that’s what you’d call it - but he needs a potion I didn’t have with me. I hope your healers stock it?”

“Yes, of course. He’s not the first and he won’t be the last.” She shifted her husband’s weight onto her side. “I’ll take him to the healers’ hut. You have my gratitude, Lady Ariya. Despite appearances, I’m glad to have him back in one piece.” Her irritated facade relaxed a little and she nodded at the young blonde woman, still practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Rosalie, would you bring this lady to the Thane? She’s certainly owed something for her trouble.”

“Yes!” Rosalie exclaimed, grabbing Ariya’s arm and starting to pull her along. “It’s this way! Oh, and Branson forgot to tell you, I’m his sister. The Thane’s sister too. Do you know what a Thane is? Do elves have Thanes? We don’t see too many elves around here. I’ve only met one before you!”

Ariya’s eyes widened at that, but she saved her question for later. “No, elves don’t have Thanes, but I’ve read about your holds before. The Thane is your leader, yes?”

“That’s right!” Rosalie said brightly. “Oh, we’re here. Wait just a minute while I go inside, okay?” Before the other woman could answer, she disappeared behind the pelt covering the opening to a small cave in the side of the mountain.

Ariya took a moment to look around the hold, taking stock of what she could see from where she stood. She had a good view of it, likely a strategic position for this Thane. A couple dozen huts lined a pair of dirt roads, crossing at the center of the hold. Smoke billowed out of chimneys and lamps hung next to most of the doorways. A few of the hold’s residents tended their gardens - men, women, and children alike - probably gathering vegetables for supper. A small group of men stood a ways down the road from her, covered in dirt and blood - Branson’s hunting party, no doubt. They cast furtive glances her way, but said nothing she could hear.

A few minutes later, Rosalie’s head popped out from behind the pelt, smile bright as ever, and beckoned her inside. “The Thane would like to speak with you!”

Ariya smiled fondly at the girl’s bright nature and followed her inside. The walls were adorned with more pelts like the one over the doorway, and a fire burned bright in the center of the room. Furnishings were sparse - a few rough-hewn chairs, a table, and a simple, yet impressive throne in the far back of the room. The room’s only occupants were a man who bore more than a passing resemblance to Branson, though perhaps a few years older, sitting at the right hand of the throne, sharpening a dagger, and the Thane.

The Thane was a foreboding woman with the same gold curls as her siblings, pulled back in a braid, though a few loose strands framed her face. She regarded Ariya with a cool, though not hostile, demeanor, jade green eyes giving her a once over as if she could read the sort of person she was by look alone.

Ariya had no concept whatsoever of protocol or courtesy in an Avvar hold, but she gave a small bow, thinking it a neutral enough gesture of respect.

The Thane’s lip quirked in a half smile. “No need for that here, Lady Elf,” she said. “I understand we have you to thank for bringing my brother back the brink of death...” she shared a glance with the man to her right. “Again.”

“I wouldn’t say it was quite so serious,” Ariya replied, still a bit wary. “But I offered what help I could.”

“This is a more frequent occurrence than we would like,” the Thane said with a light chuckle. She stood from her throne and strode over to offer the newcomer her hand. “I am Thane Mia Swift-Eye. Your name is Ariya, yes?”

Ariya shook her hand and nodded. “That’s right. I was just nearby and I heard Branson… scream.”

The man next to the throne laughed heartily. “Mia, why do we still let him go on hunts?”

Thane Mia rolled her eyes. “What am I to have him do, the washing? Forgive me, Lady Ariya, this is our other brother, Cullen. He is my… second, for lack of a better term.”

Cullen stood from his seat, sheathing his dagger in his belt and stepped up beside his sister. “It is a pleasure, Lady Ariya,” he said, holding out his hand as well. “In truth, we are grateful for your help.”

As Ariya accepted the greeting, she couldn’t help but notice the subtle differences between this Cullen and the man she rescued earlier. A squarer jaw, a scar crossing his upper lip, and lighter eyes, the color of the pieces of amber she used to dig out of the sand on Kirkwall’s shore.

The kind of eyes that would get her in a lot of trouble if she stared at them too long.

She coughed to cover her awkward pause, hoping neither Cullen nor Thane Mia noticed her gawking, however brief. “It was no trouble, really. But it’s likely best that he not wander these wilds alone.”

Cullen chuckled again, but Thane Mia tilted her head curiously. “Were you wandering alone? Have you a clan nearby?”

Ariya shook her head. “My clan is far from here, I’ve been traveling on my own for some time. But I’m small, quick. I hold my own quite well.”

Thane Mia gave a half shrug, seemingly satisfied with this answer. “In any case, my family and Stone-Bear Hold owe you a debt. Please, stay for supper, and we will discuss what compensation you find suitable.”

“I’m happy with just a meal, Thane. My needs are simple.”

She waved her hand in dismissal. “Nonsense, we will find something you can use in your travels. And you should stay the night as well - it grows late.” She paused and looked toward the door, where Rosalie stood waiting. “Ros, please show Ariya to the guest quarters in our home, and make sure she has whatever she needs.”

Ariya tried to protest, “That isn’t--”

“Hush, you’re our guest!” Rosalie interrupted, grabbing her arm again. “I love when we have guests. Sometimes it’s boring seeing the same people all the time. I want to hear all about the elves and your travels! And we’ll make sure you can get cleaned up for dinner, I think you’ve still got some blood in your hair,” she chattered on as she led Ariya down the road, toward the center where the two paths intersected.

The elf sighed and resigned herself to her fate. After all, a hot meal and a warm bed was nothing to complain about, and, just maybe, if she asked the right questions, she could get _some_ idea of where to take her search next.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to do something just a little different for my Avvar AU. Fair warning though: I have virtually no idea where I'm going with this. Updates will be on a schedule of ??? and plot is being made up as I go. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> My tumblr is at head-bitch-inquisitor if you want to come say hi!


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